Tiles, tiles and more tiles

After checking out CIOT and Olympia Tiles we noticed another tile place across the street (but they are closed Sundays). We'll have to go back and check it out another time.

We heard of a few more that we have to visit including Stone Tile and Saltillo Tile. We dropped into Lowe's and Home Depot but found they did not have much selection. Also in the Castlefield Design district, we're planning to visit Roman Bath and a few other showrooms. Does anyone know of other tile stores in the Toronto area???

Olympia Tiles

On Sunday we went to Olympia Tiles and it was packed! We viewed a variety of tiles and skipped the natural tile section (marble, etc.) since we prefer low maintenance. We spent most of our time in the porcelain section and what was interesting was that you could buy a sample of the tiles you like and if you return them within 4 weeks you receive a full refund. This is a great idea since the lighting in the tile stores vary and it's nice to check it out against your own bathroom floor.

We are planning to go back to CIOT, etc. and get tile samples of the ones we liked there also.

Next we went to Home Depot where we learned that they (along with Lowe's) carry Kohler faucets, toilets, etc. We're wondering if it's less expensive to buy Kohler through Kohler or through Home Depot since they buy in bulk?

Kohler Showroom

We went to the Kohler showroom in Burlington (1150 Corporate Drive) on Saturday and did more research since we like the clean designs. It was a small showroom but the lady that worked there (Jeanette) was nice and helpful. It wasn't like some of the other places we've seen... Since they don't work on commission there was no pressure.

There was a nice sink and toilet in "biscuit" which is a cream colour that looks nice with polished nickel. Jeanette mentioned that white goes best with chrome, otherwise it can be distracting. Unfortunately, she didn't have samples for the 2 vanities we liked but we had seen one previously at a showroom on Bay St in Toronto (cherry wood finish).

After pricing out all the materials, for one bathroom we were looking at between $5000 and $7000. Contractor #1 mentioned to put budget against fixtures (such as faucets) and the vanity that are viewed first. He suggested saving money on the toilet... which is not a bad idea.

The other tip that we seem to hear all the time is to not put in a tub. Jeanette reinforced that most people do not take tub baths and that especially in a condo a walk-in shower would be preferred. We are concerned with resale value and wonder what would be better?

Dream Bathroom Stats

We went back to our dream bathroom #1 and learned that it was made up of mainly Kohler products including the sink, faucets, vanity and toilet. The knobs were wood but switched out for a chrome square knob. The taps carried the square theme as well as the toilet roll and towel bar. Our next plan is to go to Burlington and visit the 5000 square foot Kohler showroom and along the way drop into Home Depot and Rona to check out tiles. We also confirmed that the countertop was quartz (ceasarstone) and it was in Lagos blue. We both really liked the clean lines and contemporary look of Kohler. Unlike some vanities that we checked out at some big box stores that come pre-made, we liked the simplicity and natural wood.